Bitten
by Aneirin
Summary: we all know the legends of the werewolf. once bitten, you transform into a beast by the light of the moon. what happens when a certain pilot is bitten by a wolf one dark night? what happens when that pilot finds things a bit different the next full moon?
1. bitten

Disclaimer: I don't Evangelion, but you know that already don't you? Provided I am not in fact Anno in disguise, all I own is this story.

Author's note: So yeah. Had this'n in my head for a while, it was a full moon tonight, and I thought, "Hey. Why not?" It felt right to do the first chapter the night of the full moon. And, just cause I'm me, I'll be doing werewolfism a little differently from the norm in this story. Enjoy.

--

There was once a man, several hundred years ago, who happened to be a knight. He lived with his beautiful and loving wife in the countryside. He lived a comfortable life, as he was on very good terms with the King.

Now, as it happened, the Knight would disappear regularly for a few days each month. His wife, though she loved him, was somewhat suspicious of this, and also grew quite worried when he would leave. Many times, she begged him to tell her where he went, but he would not out of fear of her reaction. This went on for a long time.

One day the knight's wife finally managed to wear him down. The knight told her where he went. He said that he had been bitten by a wolf many years ago, and that each month, he became a werewolf for a few days at a time. During this time, he went off into the woods to be by himself. He told his wife that he had to put his clothes away somewhere as well, because if he lost them he couldn't change back into a human once the time was up.

His wife was absolutely horrified by this, but she didn't show it. She kept up a front of compassion, innocently inquiring where he kept his clothes. He did not tell her at first, but she eventually got him to reveal that as well. He said that when he went into the forest, he hid his clothes in an old ruined church.

The next time he went out, his wife immediately got a hold of another knight- her husband's rival as well as a man who loved her. She told him about her husband, and they set out and followed him. They saw her husband take off his clothes, hide them, and then transform. As soon as he ran off, his treacherous wife and his rival grabbed his clothes and took them away, hiding them themselves. Days later when the wolf returned, he knew that his clothes had been stolen, and woefully knew it must have been his wife.

While the good knight spent the next year in the forest as a wolf, his wife got married to the knight who had helped her. She had no guilt about what she had done, as she now only thought of her husband as a beast.

One day, the King and his royal party came to the forest. The kings dogs picked up the scent of the tragic wolf, and eventually cornered him. The wolf thought he was going to die, until he saw the King. The wolf ran between the dogs and knelt beside the King's horse. He lifted his head up and licked the King's hand. The King and his men were shocked to see the wolf begging for his life. The King then ordered that the wolf be spared, and he took the wolf home with him.

The wolf was a great wonder at the royal court. He proved to be a most intelligent animal, and was the King's constant companion. One day, the King decided to hold a feast in honor of his best knight, who'd disappeared a little more than a year earlier. Among the guests was the knight's wife and her new husband. The second the wolf saw her, he attacked her, biting off her nose.

The King was shocked, but ordered the men who had drawn their weapons to spare him. Instead, he had the wolf dragged off and locked inside the King's chamber. The King and his men had never seen the wolf act this way before, and so decided they had to question the woman who'd been attacked. When asked if she knew anything about the wolf's strange behavior, she confessed.

She told the king everything about her husband, to which the King reacted with shock and anger. He sent some men to go and retrieve the knight's clothes. They returned shortly, and went up to the King's chamber. They left the clothes in the room and left, and advisor warning that the wolf wouldn't change with others watching.

They came in later and found the missing knight sleeping on the King's bed. The King was overjoyed to see his friend alive and well. He accepted the knight, werewolf or not, and let him live in the castle. As for his wife, she and her husband were banished from the land. They went on to lead their lives outside of the kingdom. However, as a constant reminder of what the two had done, every woman born in their line was born without a nose.

888

Shinji put the book down. 'What a strange story,' he thought. 'What exactly was the moral?' He turned the page. _Only some can love the beast for the man inside_. Huh. He put the book back on the shelf. He was running late, and really didn't have time to read anymore. He went to the front of the store and payed for the cookbook that he'd gone there to find, and headed out.

As he walked back to his apartment, he had to take a shortcut through the park. 'I'm late enough as it is,' he thought. 'I can't afford to stick to the sidewalks.' As he ran through the park, he slowly became aware of something. It felt like he was being watched. He slowed to a stop and looked around. He didn't see anything. Except trees and bushes.

Just as he was about to start running again, he heard a growl. A large animal leapt from the bushes, knocking Shinji to the ground.

"Ah!" he cried, raising his right arm to protect himself. The animal bit his arm, clenched its jaw, and then ran off. Shinji looked after the animal in confusion. "What the hell...? Was that some kind of dog? Ah!" He looked down at his arm, which was bleeding. "Oh crap." He tore of some of his shirt and began wrapping up his arm. "I hope I don't get rabies or something horrible like that."

He hurried home, wincing as he ran. He had been almost home already. He figured it would be smarter to go home to treat the wound, it being closer than a hospital. He reached the apartment and entered.

"Shinji, there you are," said Misato as he came in. "I was getting wor- What happened!?" Misato rushed over to Shinji.

"What's going on?" asked Asuka, coming in from another room. She saw Shinji's arm. "Whoa! What happened Shinji?"

"I don't know," said Shinji, wincing as Misato grabbed his arm to inspect it further. "I was cutting through the park on my way home, and this big dog thing came out of nowhere and attacked me! It bit my arm, and then just ran off."

"Oh boy," said Misato. "We're going to get you to a doctor, then. That animal might have had rabies." Shinji nodded in agreement, putting down his bag.

"So much for dinner," muttered Asuka.

888

They were all back home about an hour later, Shinji having been given a clean bill of health. Misato cooked dinner to give him a break. Shinji's arm was now in clean bandages. The animal hadn't done any more damage than the puncture wounds, so Shinji's arm was working fine.

Still, it bugged him. What on earth had possessed that animal to just bite him like that? And where had it come from anyway? It looked more like a wolf than a dog, and there weren't really any wild wolves in Japan. At least, not that Shinji knew of. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'It was just a bite. That thing probably could have killed me if it wanted to. I guess I should be thankful.' He went to sleep that night, not really thinking about it much.

The night had been strange, to say the least. Little did Shinji know that things were going to get much, much stranger.

--

And there it is. First half of the chapter is actually an old folk-tale/mediaeval legend. I've read it so many times that even though I haven't read it in like two years I still remember it almost perfectly.

So yeah, the first chapter isn't much, but this is just the setup. The real story starts next time. Stay tuned!


	2. fairy tales

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. It's weird to type that again, after so long.

Author's note: Won't waste time apologizing for this being late. I don't write often enough. I'm looking for a job now, because as it is I have so much free time I am not motivated to do anything with it. Wish me luck on that! Cause once I get a job, I'll have less free time, but I bet I'll be motivated to write like crazy!

Also, thought I should mention, this fic takes place before the 13th angel, so everyone is still intact.

* * *

Shinji woke up the next morning and blinked a few times. As he sat up slowly in bed, he winced and looked down at his arm, suddenly remembering the wound. _'Crazy dog,'_ he thought. _'Came out of nowhere.'_ He got up, got dressed, and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Asuka and Misato were soon up and about. First thing Misato did was come over and inspect Shinji's arm. "Is it feeling any better?" she asked, obviously still very concerned.

"I don't know yet," said Shinji. "It still hurts, I guess."

"You guess?" asked Asuka, helping herself to the eggs Shinji had fixed. "How do you not know? Do you pay that little attention to yourself in the morning?"

"Asuka," said Misato, "that's enough. Shinji got attacked last night, I'm sure he's still a little shaken up."

"Shaken up!" asked Asuka, a tone of pure disbelief in her voice. "He's an Eva pilot! He fights Angels on a semi-regular basis, and he's shaken up over a stray dog?"

"... It was a big dog," mumbled Shinji, preparing Misato's breakfast. "And I'm fine..." Misato shook her head and sighed, then turned back to Shinji.

"You sure you're ok?" she asked. Shinji put on a weak smile.

"Sure," he said. "I'm just tired, and my arm just hurts a little. I'll be just fine Misato, promise." His smile grew more assuring as he spoke, and Misato smiled back.

"Alright then," she said. She took the plate of food that Shinji handed her, and sat down at the table. "You'd better hurry though, or you'll be late to school."

888

They arrived at school early enough that Shinji was able to take his seat without attracting much attention. He kept one hand covering the bandage on his arm, hoping no one else would notice. Class proceeded normally that day until lunch time. Everyone got their food out once the bell rang and began eating and talking.

Shinji had just begun his meal, when he became aware of someone standing next to him. 'Please don't be Toji or Kensuke. I really don't want them to notice this.' He turned and, to his surprise, saw Rei Ayanami standing there. He looked at her for a few moments, and she looked back at him, neither saying a word.

"Um..." he began, unsure, "Yes Ayanami?" She bent over and looked at his arm.

"Ikari," she stated plainly, "you are wounded." Things went quiet, though if it was the room or if it was all just in Shinji's head, he couldn't tell. Rei sat across the room at the window, and yet she had been the first person to notice that he was injured.

As she inspected his injured arm, Shinji hoped no one else had heard her speak. Simply put he didn't want people to make a big deal about it. However, Kensuke and Toji were soon at his side as well, inspecting his arm. Soon the majority of the class followed.

While Rei carefully inspected his arm, Shinji tried to play it all off. "Really, it's nothing," he said, blushing slightly.

"Pretty big bandage for nothing," said Toji.

"Yeah," agreed Kensuke. "What happened, man?"

"Here we go," muttered Asuka.

"Well," Shinji began, "I was walking home last night, and this big... I dunno, I thought it was a wolf, but it was probably just a big dog... anyway, it jumped out at me and bit me on the arm." There was a small collective gasp from the class.

"A wolf?" asked Toji. "Do you think it escaped from the zoo?"

"Oh please," said Asuka. "There are no wild wolves in japan. Of course it escaped from a zoo, if it was a wolf at all! It was probably a stray dog."

"Now hang on a second," said Kensuke, looking to Asuka. "That's not necessarily true. While both the Hokkaido or Ezo wolf and the Honshu wolf, commonly accepted as the Japanese wolf, are reported extinct, there have been sightings of both species since their supposed extinction, and so-"

"Right," interrupted Asuka, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, Kensuke, how could I have overlooked something so simple?" She gave him an incredulous look, shaking her head. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You never know," he said, looking back at Shinji. "How big was it?"

"Pretty big," said Shinji, "that's why I thought it might be a wolf."

"It was just a dog," said Asuka. She marched back to her desk and continued her lunch, now bored with the whole conversation.

"What's her problem?" asked Kensuke.

"I dunno," said Toji. "She probably just doesn't want to admit that she was a little worried about the champ over here." He looked at Shinji. "You gonna be all right, pal?"

"I think so," said Shinji. "I mean, it really doesn't hurt too much anymore, just sometimes when I move..." His voice trailed off as he felt a gentle hand on his arm. He looked over to see Ayanami carefully feeling up and down his arm. She applied sudden pressure in one spot. It wasn't much, but Shinji still flinched.

"I apologize," said Rei, not looking up at him, and continuing what appeared to be some kind of inspection on Shinji's arm. She applied pressure to a different area. This time Shinji did not flinch.

"Um," asked Shinji, beginning to blush again, "what exactly are you doing, Ayanami?"

"I am checking your arm to find the severity of your wound," answered the mysterious blue-haired girl. She applied pressure to a spot slightly higher up Shinji's arm, and he flinched again. "My apologies again." She put bpth of her hands on Shinji's arm, at the spots where he had flinched. She lifted her hands up, maintaining the distance between them.

"I believe this to be the size of the bite," she said. Her hands were roughly ten centimeters apart. "I am unsure, but I believe that is quite wide. Both species of wolf found in Japan were smaller than this, correct?"

"I'd say so," said Kensuke, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Well," said Toji, "Leave it to Shinji to run into the one wolf that escapes from the zoo."

"I think we'd have heard if something like that happened," said Kensuke. Toji and Kensuke argued about the validity of an escaped wolf going undetected for the next few minutes, while Shinji simply sat back silently. Rei stayed beside him, also silent. She kept on hand on his arm, again checking his injury.

After a short while, she stood up again. "The bite was quite wide," she said. "I believe you shall be fine. If you do not irritate the wound it should heal in due time. I am... sorry that you were bitten." With that, the pilot of Unit 0 walked back to her seat, and began eating her lunch. The rest of the class had already gone back to their lunches during Toji and Kensuke's argument, and so only the three were left at Shinji's desk. They each stared after Ayanami as she left, and were quiet for a few moments. Then the other two looked back at Shinji.

"Any idea what that was all about?" asked Toji.

"Yeah," said Kensuke, "Ayanami seemed pretty attentive to you today, Shinji. What's the deal with that?"

Shinji just shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't feel like explaining to them that, ever since the Fifth Angel had attacked, they had grown a bit closer. He was sure that they were already somewhat aware, but he knew Toji liked to tease, and he wasn't in the mood. The fact was, Rei was trying to be a bit more sociable at least where Shinji was concerned, and he knew it and appreciated it.

The rest of the day proceeded normally. When the final bell rang, Shinji began to gather his school things. Asuka came up to him.

"Hey," she said. "Did you need me to walk you home? There could be some strays running loose."

"Very funny," said Shinji. "You can go on ahead. I needed to stop by the grocery store again today. It turns out we're out of pretty much everything I needed to make dinner."

"I see," said Asuka. "Well, just try not to be out too late, baka. You don't need to get attacked again."

"Right," said Shinji. "Thanks for the advice Asuka."

"Whatever," said Asuka, walking off. Shinji stared after her, shaking his head slightly. He guessed that she was trying to be helpful, in her own way. Still she could be nicer about it all.

"Shinji," said a voice behind him, causing him to jump. He turned around to see Rei standing there.

"O-oh, hey Rei," he said, a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come up behind me." She gave a small, brief smile.

"I am sorry for sneaking up on you," she said. "It was not my intention."

"Well, did you want to talk about something?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Will you please accompany me home?" Shinji was a little surprised at her request, but he accepted.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, before Rei finally spoke up. "Shinji," she said, "how is your arm?"

"It's ok right now," he said. "It still hurts, but it feels better from earlier."

"That is good to hear," she said. "What exactly happened?"

"Well," said Shinji, "I was out late. I had been looking for a particular book, and I left the book store after dark. It was my own fault, really, because I got caught up reading a book."

"What book?" asked Rei.

"I dunno, I don't remember the title," answered Shinji. "It was a book full of old European fairy tales. It was kind of funny though, because the one I read before I put the book down was actually about a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" asked Rei. Shinji looked at her, a little surprised.

"You don't know what a werewolf is?" he asked.

"No," said Rei. "I am not sure I know what a fairy tale is either. Is a werewolf a fairy?"

"No," laughed Shinji. "Fairy tales are just old stories where magic things happen, and magical creatures are involved. A werewolf is a monster."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," explained Shinji. "A werewolf is a person that turns into a wolf whenever there's a full moon out, at least that's the rule in most stories. And when you get bitten by a werewolf, then you become a werewolf too, but not right away."

"I see," said Rei. She was quiet for a moment, before asking, "Do you think that you will become a werewolf?" Shinji started laughing. It was the funniest thing he'd heard in a long time.

"No," said Shinji, smiling. "I really don't think so."

"Why do you find the idea funny?" asked Rei.

"Huh? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because," said Rei. "You and I fight strange beings often. These could be described as monsters from these 'fairy tales' that you told me about. If they exist, is a werewolf not possible?" Shinji actually considered this for a moment.

"Well," he said, thoughtfully, "I guess you have a point when you put it like that. Still, I really don't think so. I mean, whatever bit me did it last night. Full moon's not until tomorrow, I think."

"That is true," said Rei. "Still, you said sometimes the rules are different." Shinji blanched.

"You see," said Shinji, "you scare me a little when you say things like that."

"I am sorry," said Rei. "I do not mean to scare you. I am simply making an observation. Besides, I find it highly unlikely that such a creature bit you last night. I was just making a joke."

'Making a joke?' thought Shinji. 'First time for everything I guess.' they reached Rei's apartment building.

"Do try and get home safe," Rei said, turning to Shinji. "You should be more careful not to become injured. You are too important." Shinji blushed slightly.

"U-um," he stammered, "th-thanks Rei. I'll be more careful, I promise."

"Good," she said. With that, she walked inside. Shinji smiled after her, and then made his way to the grocery store.

888

Shinji was on his way home. It was dark already, and the clouds weren't helping things. The moon was supposed to be large tonight. He kept walking. He saw a patch of moonlight up ahead, and felt glad that he was finally going to get some light. As he approached, the wind picked up, and the clouds above began moving away.

Shinji looked up at the moon, but his smile soon vanished. The grocery bags in his arms fell to the floor, and his pupils went wide. His arms began to twitch, and his breathing grew shallow. He was totally paralyzed for a few moments. Then, his arms began to itch, he was able to move his head enough to look down, and was able to raise his arms up a way.

His eyes went still wider in newfound horror. Thick brown hair was growing on his arms, and his fingers were becoming clawlike. He heard the sound of tearing fabric as his arms and legs became enlarged and burst through his clothes. He opened his mouth to scream, but what came out was a noise utterly inhuman.

"AAAAAAAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

BAM. Before anyone says anything, I know. It seems awfully early to have the werewolf transformation. But this is going to be one of the stories I update right away, so you'll get a proper explanation of this decision next time. No worries. I think you'll like it :)

Now, on the subject of me updating again. I have an awesome friend who made a deal with me. The stakes were high, and the deadline is now. We also made a deal so that I'll be updating twice a week; not necessarily this story, but any story/stories that I have currently running. If you wish, you may thank her in your comments and I will pass the thanks along to her.

Stay tuned!


	3. carnival

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion.

Author's note: A little late on this chapter, but I'm gonna update again this week, so no worries there. Not a lot to say here, so on with the show!

* * *

"AH!" cried Shinji sitting bolt upright in bed. His head was spinning a bit from the sudden movement. He looked around his room, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly remembering why he had awoken so suddenly, he looked down at his hands.

He sighed in relief, his breath shaking a bit. It had all been a dream. There was no fur, no claws, nothing. It was just a dream.

"All that werewolf talk," he said quietly to himself. "That must have got my mind going too much." He shook his head a little, and placed a hand on his arm. It didn't hurt today. He unwrapped the bandages, and his eyes widened. He was almost fully healed! "Must have been a more shallow wound than I thought."

He went to the bathroom and changed out his bandages. After that he went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast as usual. There was no school today, it being the weekend, so Shinji tried to figure out how he'd like to spend the day. Barring a surprise Angel attack, he wasn't needed at NERV until at least two days from now, when they were expected to go through their usual drills.

He felt restless though, and as soon as he was done with breakfast he got dressed and headed for the door.

"Hey baka," said Asuka, "where are you going?"

"Out," answered Shinji.

"Out where?"

"I dunno, just out, I guess," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He left before Asuka could question him further. Misato had gone into NERV early, needing to take care of some work today, and so was already out.

He made his way down to the park, hoping to just get some fresh air and try to relax a little. He felt a bit on edge, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. 'Probably the nightmare,' he reasoned, although he wasn't fully satisifed with that answer.

As he approached the park, he became aware of noises. When he rounded the corner, he saw a bunch of tents set up in the park. His curiosity was piqued, and he went to go investigate.

It was some sort of carnival. There were tents and booths set up all around, and there were people of all ages having a good time. It wasn't often that anything like this came to Tokyo-3, especially with all that had been happening over the last few months, so this was a rare treat for the people of the often-embattled city.

Shinji wandered about, looking from place to place. There was a dunking booth, a dart booth, one of those strength testers with a bell on top, and much more. He wondered what he should try first, when something caught his eye. It was a fortune teller's tent, and it currently had no line. Deciding it couldn't hurt, he went inside.

The atmosphere inside the tent was a stark contrast to that outside. The air was thick, but not too thick, with incense. The material of the tent was thick, and so managed to keep out the sunlight seemingly entirely. The only light in the room was produced by a few candles placed here and there. And there at the center, gazing at a crystal ball, was a woman wearing a thick veil over her face.

The woman's brilliantly bright eyes were immediately on Shinji. She beckoned him forward, gesturing to the chair opposite hers at the table. Shinji slowly walked forward and sat down, not saying a word. She appeared to be a young woman. Shinji could just tell she was, despite not being able to see anything but her eyes and forehead.

"Hello," said the woman in a mysterious tone. "Welcome to the tent of Madam Bella."

"Um, hello," said Shinji. "I'm-"

"Shhhhh," said the woman, shushing him, "no need to introduce yourself. Your identity is clear to me. The young Ikari, Shinji, correct?" Shinji nodded, stupefied. He'd always assumed fortune telling was all smoke and mirrors, tricks. But in a single moment she had told him his name, having never met him before.

"How did... how did you know my name?" he asked.

"I know many things, dear boy," she said. "My concern rests within the spirit world, and the spirit world confides much in me. You are one of humanity's great protectors, are you not?" Shinji shook his head yes, although he disagreed.

"It's really nothing," he said, "I just do what I need to, and-"

"It is not nothing, dear boy!" exclaimed Madam Bella. "Your work costs you much, does it not? It causes you pain as well, yes?" Shinji nodded. "Then it is a great service and good work that you do."

"You seem to know a lot about me," said Shinji. "How?"

"How does one know anything?" she answered. Shinji could feel her smiling under her veil. "But that is not why you are here, is it?"

"I don't actually know why I'm here," said Shinji, looking down at the floor.

"Of course you do," said Madam Bella. "This was the one place with no line!" She laughed a pleasant laugh, and Shinji smiled. "But there is another reason you were drawn to my tent. You have a question, though you do not know how to ask it."

"I have a question?" he asked. She nodded.

"Just think for a moment. I am a woman who knows fortunes. Pasts, presents, futures. I know dreams, omens, signs. What could a woman like that offer you?" At the word dreams, Shinji started slightly. "Ah, so you do have something."

"I had... I had a really strange dream this morning," he began. "Well, I've had a strange few days, really."

"Is that so?" asked the young woman in front of him, resting her veiled chin on her hands, and her elbows on the table.

"I had a dream that I turned into a wolf," said Shinji. "I got bit by a big dog or something the other day, and I guess it freaked me out a little."

"And why should being bit by an animal make you think you should become an animal?" she asked.

"Well," said Shinji, a little embarrassed, "I guess it was 'cause I had just finished reading a book about werewolves. I know, it's silly." She remained quiet, raising an eyebrow.

"A story about werewolves, you say," she said, thoughtfully. "Interesting." She hummed a little tune, and placed her hands on her crystal ball. Without warning, the candles in the tent went out. However, darkness did not replace it. The ball was glowing blue. So, Shinji thought, were the woman's eyes.

"What-?"

"Quiet, dear boy," she said. She gazed into her ball. "There is much change in store for you, young Ikari. It was not just a dream, but a premonition! You do not believe now, but you shall, in forces both large and unimaginable. Fate has brought you here to my tent. I am the one person on this Earth that will be able to assist you in what you are going to go through in the coming time." Shinji was quiet, wide-eyed, and a little fearful. What was she saying?

"You will go through this change soon, sooner than you are prepared for," she continued, a supernatural quality coming into her voice. "You shall gain something you have never had before. A great pain and a great power. This power may be used to take lives or save lives. It is up to you to choose, but know now that the fate of others relies on you, and not just because you are Earth's defender! You have the power to set things right, things that would go wrong!"

"What are you-?"

"And beware! Beware the thirteenth! You now have the chance to prevent a great tragedy from befalling those you care about! Beware the thirteenth!" The glow from the ball slowly faded, leaving Shinji and the fortune teller in darkness. She struck a match and relit her candles.

"... What was all that?" he asked

"Sorry," she said amiably. "Sometimes when these things come, they come in a big way. The spirit world does love showmanship from time to time."

"But what on Earth was all that?" he asked. "Thirteenth what? The date? And what transformation? Are you saying I'm actually a werewolf or something?"

"I really can't say," she said. "Sorry. However, you will know soon enough. And when you do, you may come find me. My carnival will be in town for quite some time."

"I'm sorry, but this all sounds really crazy," said Shinji, standing up. Madam Bella laughed.

"I know it does," she said cheerfully. "Believe me, I didn't understand everything at first either. But know this: when the time comes that all of this is made clear, I can and will help you. And do not be frightened. What the spirits have promised is remarkable, and not without reason." Shinji shook his head, trying to make heads or tails of the whole situation. She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I've seen a lot of strange things," he said quietly, "but that has to be one of the strangest."

"It may only get stranger from here," she said. "Now, would you like some tea to calm your nerves?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm not trying to poison you. Despite what you may have heard, carnies are not dangerous miscreants. Well, not all of us are." She laughed again, and Shinji decided to just go ahead and take a seat. While he wasn't sure at all what to think of the bizarre things he had just seen and heard, something inside, some small voice, told him that he could trust this strange woman.

888

Shinji spent the better part of the day at the carnival, leaving and coming back a few times. True to her word, Madam Bella had not poisoned him, and he actually felt better after his cup of tea than he had before. His feeling of restlessness had gone, and a small part of him wondered if it **had** been fate making him go to the carnival to see the fortune teller.

"Nah," he shook his head. He didn't really believe in fate. But he did at least believe that there was something special about Madam Bella. While he had, after a time, been able to accept that he was fighting giant creatures from space, the spirit world, or at least claims to be able to communicate with it, had always seemed a little harder to believe. If nothing else, he had seen something very extraordinary.

At around seven, with the sun almost all the way down, the carnival closed. They packed up quickly, and their trucks and trailers drove off. Before leaving, Bella assured Shinji that they would be back again the next day. Shinji decided to hang around in the park for a while longer, enjoying the fresh air.

He'd had an interesting day, he'd decided. Several kids from school had made their way down to the carnival, including Toji and Kensuke. Toji had even brought his little sister along, the doctors deciding that she was well enough to go out for one day. Shinji had felt a little guilty, seeing the girl and remembering that he had been the cause of her injury. But she had seemed to harbor no grudge against him.

He thought back to what Madam Bella had said. The power to take or save lives. What had that really meant? It didn't matter, he decided. If nothing else, he would always try to save lives. That was part of the reason he piloted Unit 1, after all. Sure, he had his problems with people, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and help.

Asuka had also come down, but had made it quite clear that she was here to hang out with Hikari, and didn't need any of the guys to have any fun. She had said that, but she and Hikari had stuck around for a good amount of time anyway.

Most surprising by far to see had been Ayanami. He hadn't expected Rei to come to a carnival just out of the blue. She was so reserved, and kept to herself at almost all times. She wondered how she had found out about the carnival at the park, and more importantly wondered why she had come down.

They had had a pleasant conversation, though. She had apparently come to the park because she too had felt somewhat restless, and had seen a flyer for the carnival near her apartment building. Not knowing what a carnival entailed, she had come to investigate and satisfy her curiosity.

Shinji smiled. He had shown Ayanami around the carnival and introduced her to the games. While demonstrating the strength test, he had surprisingly scored well enough to earn a small prize. Earning much teasing from Toji, he had given the prize, a small stuffed bear, to Ayanami, as he had no real need of it. Or that's what he'd said, anyway. But at least it had earned him a small smile from the blue haired girl.

Before Shinji knew it, it was dark. He had gotten so caught up in recounting the day's events that he had lost track of time. He grew nervous, uncomfortable being out after dark after what had happened the other night.

He stood up and looked around. It was dark out. The moon was bright, but currently blocked by a few thin clouds. He started heading in the direction of home, when he noticed it getting brighter. He looked up and saw the moon, peeking out from behind the clouds. He tried to move, to continue walking, but suddenly was aware that he could not.

His eyes widened, his body paralyzed and rooted to the spot. His skin began to itch. Suddenly, he felt pain. It was like growing pains, but everywhere and all at once. The pain intensified and he cried out.

"Augh!" he exclaimed, falling to his hands and knees. His head slowly turned back up to look at the moon. It called to him, with an inaudible voice. It pulled him. He suddenly heard cracking noises, and the pain again intensified.

He looked down at his arms, his eyes widening in terror as he did. Hair! Hair was growing all over his arms! His nails grew longer and sharper, and his hands began to change shape. He heard tearing sounds as he suddenly felt his chest expand. Suddenly he heard his pants tear. He looked back. A tail!

His horrified eyes suddenly began to grow a little wider apart. He looked down his nose, the newest spot in which the pain had began, and grew even more fearful. It had begun growing out!

"AAAAAAAUUUHHH" he cried, the pain and fear overtaking him. He felt his teeth grow sharper and change shape, with twice the intensity of a toothache. Snapping and cracking sounds continued as his legs and arms changed shape. He was soon looking down a canine snout at two large paws. His clothes, down to his shoes, lay ruined on the ground beneath him. He was covered in gray and brown fur.

He looked down along his new form. This wasn't happening. There was fur everywhere. This wasn't happening. His legs were clearly the legs of a wolf now. This wasn't happening. He had a tail. THIS WASN'T HAPPENING!

"AAAAAAAWUUUUUUUOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Tada! Sorry, I'm a little late. This was supposed to be done in time for last week's(week before, actually -_-) update. This week's (truly last week's, now) will come soon, and then hopefully this coming week (today's week) will be on time. Hope you all didn't mind me tricking you with the whole dream thing. This time it's real, I promise. But I had to save it until after the fortune teller thing. I tell you what, I've really had this planned out for a while, so no worries: I do know what I'm doing.

Til next time!


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